Night Time
by toujours-eccentrique
Summary: Luna finds Snape in an hour of need, and becomes an unlikely confidante. One shot. Contains suggest self harm and suicide.


Luna liked to wander the castle at night. In her opinion it was when it was the most alive. It was far easier to seek out Knargles without everybody bustling around the place. It was also a good time for her to search for her missing belongings, which could be found from places such as behind dusty statues to stuffed under the desks of empty classrooms. It was past one of these classrooms that Luna walked when she heard somebody crying.

It was the quiet sort of crying, the worst kind. Whoever it was was letting our their grief in long, rasping sobs. Every now and then they'd stop to gasp and stutter heavily, before starting all over again. Very slowly Luna pushed open the door to venture inside. As soon as the door began to creak the crying stopped. "Lumos!" A voice gasped. The wand tip ignited and Luna was cast in a silvery glow.

Luna's eyes widened in shock. It was Professor Snape.

Snape took in Luna's small form, draped in a long white night dress with her pale hair flowing down her back, and at first he thought that she was a ghost. Then he took in the radish earrings and realized who it really was. He was horrified. How much had she heard?

"Miss Lovegood, what on Earth do you think you are doing, wandering the castle at night?" Snape shouted furiously, "Go back to bed at once!"

"I heard somebody crying, Professor. I came to help," Luna explained. She seemed very unperturbed.

"You must have been imagining things. Now leave," Snape hissed.

"But Professor..." Luna's voice trailed away as Snape marched over.

He grabbed Luna by her arm and began dragging her from the room. Luna looked down at Snape's hand and was shocked to see the faded, ragged scars, criss-crossing like train tracks, trailing over the Potion masters pale skin. They seemed to reach all the way up to the crook of his elbow. Luna had never noticed them before, but then it was hard to make out any inch of Snape's skin when he was dressed in his usual long black robes. However the fabric of his thin night shirt had rose up his arm in the struggle to remove Luna from the room.

Snape noticed Luna staring. He froze. He opened his mouth to say something but Luna surprised him by reaching out and gently trailing her fingers over Snape's skin. She looked up at him. "Did you try to kill yourself, Professor?" She whispered.

"Miss Lovegood, how dare-" Snape began.

"My mother tried to kill herself," Luna went on matter-of-factly, "Daddy told me it was an accident but I know the truth now. She was sad. Are you sad?"

Snape stared hard in to Luna's misty grey eyes. She was unlike any student he had ever met, truly one of a kind. He hesitated. There was no way he was about to pour his heart out to this little brat, but something in her calm, kind face told him he could. "I loved somebody," Snape said eventually.

"What happened?" Luna said gently.

Snape turned around, he couldn't bear to face her any longer. There was a long pause, then he said, "She died."

Luna let out a horrified little gasp. "Oh Professor, I'm so sorry," She whispered.

"It doesn't matter," Snape lied, "It was a long time ago."

"I don't think she would have wanted you to hurt yourself, Professor," Luna said.

Snape whirled around. "How would you know what Li-" He stopped himself. There was no need to tell Luna everything, he didn't want her blabbing to her stupid little friends. "What she would have wanted?" He said instead.

"She must have been a good person for you to love her," Luna stated, as if it were obvious, "And a good person wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Snape laughed bitterly. "Miss Lovegood when you feel bad enough about yourself to want to press a blade to your wrists, it doesn't matter what other people want for you," He explained, "Nothing anybody says can stop you. Besides, some of these scars were made long before she came along."

"Your parents, didn't they care?" Luna asked. She could tell she was treading on thin ice now.

"Enough," Snape shouted. Luna flinched a little. "Enough," Snape repeated in his usual silky voice.

Luna knew when it was time to go. "Good night, Professor," She said.

Snape watched her turn around and walk towards the door. When she reached the door way, he called her back.

"Yes, Professor?" Luna asked.

Snape slowly raised his wand. "Obliviate," He whispered.


End file.
